Heaven and Hell
by Beriathwen
Summary: Meet Akira Takamura. A girl with an endlessly amount of bad luck and a tendency to do stupid things. Not a Mary Sue. Rated for language and violence
1. Chapter 1

**Author: **Beriathwen

**Fansom: **Beyblade

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Beyblade nor any of its characters. I do, however, own the OC's

**Summary**: Meet Akira Takamura. A girl with an endlessly amount of bad luck and a tendency to do stupid things. Not a Mary Sue

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The sun shone through the window illuminating the sea of clothes and other articles which had miracously found their way down to the floor. Lying in a worn out bed was a girl in her late teens, completely unaware of the alarm that was screeching in a futile attempt to wake her. It succeeded, however, in waking every other member in the household.  
She grunted and rolled over; burying her head between the pillow and the covers, refusing to be woken by the little, but extremely annoying, object on her nightstand. Shortly after, snores began to erupt from beneath the covers as the girl had fallen asleep.  
Her happiness did not last as her bedroom door flung open and a figure strode in with a wild gleam in his eyes directed at the alarm clock. He waded through the mess on the floor, cursed loudly as his foot made contact with a steel box and grabbed the annoying mechanical item. A morbid grin appeared on his face before he hurled the cursed object out the window and laughed in triumph as the screeching faded away before a small thump was heard and the clock gave one more piercing shriek before admitting defeat. He turned around and glared at the person he deemed guilty for ruining his sleep. The girl appeared from beneath the covers and shot him an unimpressed glare.

"Akira Amelia Shayenne Montgomery Takamura!" he snarled.

"Charles Adam Gregorovic Mont..." she stopped abruptly in what would be a long speech on personal space before her head shot to her right at an amazing speed, her eyes roaming the nightstand for her long gone alarm clock. "What's the time?" She asked feebly, images of said clock being thrown out the window entering her mind.

"It's 7.45 in the fucking morning, that's what it is" Charles growled. "And I'm not supposed to be up for another three god dam…" He was cut off, as his sister, in an impressing show of speed, was up and about in less than three seconds, her eyes roaming the room with barely controlled panic.

"Why didn't anybody wake me?! This is so not cool!" Akira shrieked as she tried to maneuver through the cyclone zone that was her room. She rummaged through the piles of clothes in an attempt to find something remotely suitable for the first day of school and failed badly. She ended up with the first articles of clothing that her hands could find and proceeded to strip out of the boxer and wife beater she had been wearing as a pajama.

"What the hell are you doing! I do not want to watch my sister strip!" Charles screamed and disappeared from her room cursing under his breath. Akira rolled her eyes as she warred with her pants, trying not to get her foot tangled up in one of the many holes that adorned said piece of clothing. She threw on the Flogging Molly t-shirt she had snatched from one of her brother's closet a few days ago and ran out of the room, only to run back and fetch her backpack.

She ran down the stairs, three steps at the time, rounded the corner and found herself in scrambles on the floor as she had collided with the firm chest of Rufus Montgomery. Curses and other obscenities escaped her mouth as she tried to untangle herself from her backpack.

"In a hurry?" Her father asked in an amused tone, staring down at her through the blond hair that fell messily into his eyes.

"No, I just happened to wake up with an exceptional amount of energy, OF COURSE I'M IN A HURRY! SCHOOL STARTS IN LESS THAN TWENTY MINUTES!" she bellowed as she sped past a laughing Rufus and towards the hallway. She jumped into her sneakers, grabbed the first leather jacket she could find and disappeared through the door with a hysterical 'I'm so fucking late'.

Her father stood snickering behind, holding the wallet that had fallen out of her backpack after their little encounter.

"You're pure evil, you know that" Charles said as he approached his father, nibbling on a muffin.

"I know" Rufus answered, an evil smirk adorning his face. "And thus the heir to the Mizura clan disappeared into the sunset, as calm as ever" he said as they heard the screeching of tires, honking and an angry Akira yelling at an unlucky pedestrian that happened to be in her way.  
Charles stared at him with an expression of utter disbelief and exasperation before he walked away muttering "and we're supposed to be related".

"At least I didn't throw an alarm clock out the window five minutes ago" Rufus answered innocently, walking away. Two seconds later a half eaten muffin found its way to the back of his head.

Akira sped down the road weaving past cars that were not even remotely close to her choice of speed. She slowed down as she got closer to the main road and dared herself a look in the mirror. She wished she had not done so a second later. Her blonde hair hung messily in her face and her green eyes were drawn due to the lack of sleep. The clothes she had put on were not something to be proud of either. Her washed out blue jeans were barely alive, only sticking together by the seams. It had been colored in brown and green after a football match the Takamura family had had three days prior. She sighed. Growing up as the only girl in a family of three brothers and a crazy father was not easy.

Rufus had lost his wife, Chi Takamura, eight years ago in a car crash. The incident had nearly ruined the family when Rufus' only way of coping with the loss was working harder than ever, thus leaving his children to grieve alone. Luckily his mother in law, Kira Takamura, a woman that was almost as crazy as him, had literally beaten some of the common sense back into him and he accepted the responsibility as a parent.  
He had worked in the army which made the Takamura family moving every other year. He had now quit his well paid job as an engineer in the army, to follow his dream and become a mechanic and open his own workshop. And so the family ended up in a normal, quiet suburban neighborhood; though Akira had a feeling the peace and quiet would not last with her family and their antics. They had already gotten several hateful glares and muttering was always heard when they were seen in their garden or at the mall. Obviously the word had spread.

Akira dared another look in the mirror and sighed. This would not be a good day.  
She had inherited most of her looks from her father. The blonde hair, green eyes and extremely pale complection was what described Akira best. Akira and her twin brother Takashi.  
'Takashi was luckier with his look than I was' she thought.  
They looked very much alike. Both had a rather pointy chin and high cheek bones, though Akira's face was rounder than Takashi's. This was because she had inherited his father's physique. She had more muscles than the average girls, which was not unexpected growing up being the only girl in the house. While Takashi was tall and lean, Akira was of average height and had the body of a boxer.

'They never had to defend themselves from their insane father and his antics' the eighteen year old scoffed. Takashi had inherited their mother's physique. He practically looked like a god with his wavy golden hair, piercing green eyes and an ever present smile.  
'Speaking of smiles' Akira thought and rummaged through her backpack, searching for the gum she knew she had bought not too long ago. With a bark of triumph she stuffed two mint flavored gums into her mouth to get rid of her horrible morning breath.

Apparently her stomach caught onto the fact that something had been put in her mouth and roared. She continued her rummaging, becoming more and more frantic until she remembered the evil glint in her father's eyes. She froze for a second before a shriek of fury erupted from her mouth as she realized her wallet with her money in it now was currently placed unprotected in her father's hands.

* * *

It was a normal day at Thornton High School. Students were chatting happily with their friends and catching up with those they had not seen since the school ended two months ago. The chatting was suddenly interrupted by the screeching of tires and honking from a car horn. Suddenly a black Audi TT emerged from the street and swerved into the parking lot, its tires spinning and smoke erupting from the burned rubber. Inside was a girl, waving frantically at the bystanders trying to get them to move. They did so without hesitation, as the obviously insane girl somehow managed to park the car perfectly between a Volvo Xc90 and a BMW x5.

'I ought to get a standing applause for that one' Akira thought as she breathed out a breath she did not know she was holding. She squinted through the smoke to get a closer look at her new school. It was a two stories brick building with two large wings on each side. It was considerably smaller than the previous schools she had attended, something that would be to her advantage considering she had about as much sense of direction as a deaf bat.

Her father had shown her the way to school every day since she came back from New York by dragging her down the streets, earning disapproving looks from their new neighbors. Oddly enough, none of them had brought them welcome cookies yet.

Akira turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. She cursed and leaned back in to grab her backpack, turned around and let out a shriek of horror. Glaring at her was a human being that looked like a combination of a drag queen and ebenezer scrooge.

High cheek bones, grey skin and an extremely pointy chin gave the impression of looking at someone who had recently returned from the grave. A thin long nose emerged from between its eyes and below it, a thin pair of lips painted in purple was drawn back into a sneer, cold small eyes glaring at her through the mane of blonde hair that was cut into an odd bowl shape.

"What on earth do you think you are doing to my parking lot?" it growled.

"Getting to school in time?" Akira answered feebly, not knowing what to expect from this extraordinary person.

* * *

"…nearly hitting the students, ruining the pavement and almost smashing into two cars!"  
the shrill voice of vice principal Crowler made Akira wince. Her grand entry had ended abruptly as she had been dragged across the parking lot by the angry vice principal she mistook for an androgynous. She was too shocked to have any reaction whatsoever to the sporadic act of dominance, which was probably a good thing lest she wanted to be expelled from the school before even entering a classroom.  
As she was hauled towards the school she had spotted her two brothers in the sea of students giving her a look she knew all too well. They were never going to let her forget about this. Jaden would rather stick his head in a toilet than give up a chance to annoy his little sister.

Jaden was Rufus' second child. He was one year younger than Charles and two years older than Akira and Takashi. He would be a charming creature with messy brown hair and green eyes, if he had not ruined the image a few years ago by joining the soccer team. He was now officially a jock, a dream come true to all the cheerleaders.

"…could have been seriously injured, something that I would not tolerate! You are an irresponsible child! This school does not accept such reckless driving at our property! I will tell you that…" Crowler ranted as he paced back and forth in his small office. Akira stifled a yawn as she studied the dungeon that was Crawler's office. The room was slightly bigger than an average broom cupboard and she had the distinct impression of being in the Twilight Zone.

It had a red wall to wall carpet which had not been cleaned in decades. The painting on the walls had peeled off but several spots of lime green gave hints of what its previous color had been.  
Adorning the walls were various pieces of art, all containing clashing colors and various shapes of what appeared to be different types of fish. The futon she was sitting on was moth eaten and smelled like someone had stuffed a large piece of cheese under one of its cushions some time ago. To complete the picture of eeriness was the tall vice principal clad in a purple velvet suit. Pink ruffles came out of the sleeves, making his long spider fingers even more prominent. And he was less than pleased with his new student.

"…vandalism of the school's property! What do you have to say for yourself?" his face had turned into an ugly shade of pink sometime during his ranting and a vein was throbbing aggressively on his forehead.

"Well!" his high pitched voice finally reached Akira's ears and she snapped out of her daze. She gave the vice principal an unimpressed glare and straightened up.

"For your information I was not even close to hitting any students. Most of them have been grazed with enough intelligence to move out of the way when a two tons piece of metal is hurtling towards them" she deadpanned. "as for the speed, I was in a hurry and nearly drove past the school, hence my dramatic entrance. And I did not vandalize the school's properties in any way. I did not hit anything or anyone nor did I put anyone's life in danger. I was in complete control. Furthermore it was still five minutes the school started, so I have no reason to be in here" she ranted stubbornly.

Crowler glared at her and took a deep breath. "You did not vandalize the school's properties in any way? There are black marks in my parking lot, and they were not there yesterday!" he breathed, his nostrils flaring dangerously.

Akira stared at him as if he had grown two more heads. Who in their right mind became this agitated over a couple of burn marks? It was not as if the pavement would be clean and shiny forever, they were stepped on every day! Only God knew where the shoes had been before making contact with this holy ground.

"I will let you go with a warning, seeing as it is your first day and you have not been introduced to the rules yet" he continued, deflating slightly. "But I assure you, you will do wisely by avoiding my office" he looked her up and down a frown and slight disgust replacing the sneer. "I am a very respected man in this school. You will probably find some of our rules somewhat… odd, but I assure you they are there for the student's well-being. I did not get this job for my looks" Akira snorted and mumbled "If you did I am wondering what was wrong with whomever that hired you". The vice president did not seem to notice Akira's comment as he ploughed on.

"…school is known for its accuracy and fairness towards its students. The uniforms were recently banned, but that does not mean that you can dress in whatever you like" he stopped his well rehearsed speech for a moment to give Akira's outfit an unimpressed glance. He opened his mouth for a second and frowned "Did you not receive the folder we sent you? It contained the main rules and regulations of this school."

"No I haven't seen it. Chances are my father threw it, mistaking it for a flyer or some kind of advertisement." Akira mused, finally grateful that his father blatantly threw away everything he thought was propaganda against free will. Crowler did not seem to agree with Rufus, judging by the look he was giving Akira.

"Akira Amelia" Akira winced. No one used her middle name. Ever. "I have heard through the grapevine that your childhood have been somewhat different from other children, hence your aggressive and rude behavior" Akira's head shot up and she fought the urge to glare at the man.

"Yes, I received a phone call last night from your last headmistress. A truly charming and delightful woman" The words 'charming' and 'delightful' were the last words Akira would use to describe her previous headmistress.

Of all the foul teachers and principals she had had at the many schools she had attended, Mrs. Lorelei Jenkins was by far the worst. She was a squat, round woman with a bosom the size of a watermelon. She had a frightening way of suddenly appear behind you whenever you were talking about her or doing something illegal. This Akira knew from personal experience. She had been in Mrs. Jenkins office so many times that she knew the exact number of tiles on the floor.

"She told me of your radical behavior and the many fights you had started" Akira opened her mouth to contradict the unfair statement, but Crowler stopped her by raising his hand.

"I know this must be hard to hear from someone you have never met before, but I believe that you are not to be blamed for your antics. It is your father's fault for working too much and moving from place to place every other year. It is unfair to never allow a child to stay at one place and make friends." Akira could do nothing but gape.

Akira knew that she was far from perfect. She had a mouth that spewed out insults left and right because of her lack of filter between her brain and mouth.

Her mother's aunt had on several occasions tried to teach Akira manners and common sense, but was told to leave her alone when Akira had complained to her father that she had tried to brainwash her and fill her head with nonsense.  
She took responsibility when she had done something wrong, something both her parents had taught her. They had never protected her from the wrath of the teachers her when she had pulled a prank at school or defended her when she was to be punished for a fight she had started.  
She was stubborn as hell and refused to be bullied around, something she gotten in trouble for more than once.  
Her father was far from normal, she could agree with that, but he was not responsible for all the wrong decisions Akira had made.

"This is why I am advising you to see a psychologist" There was a long pause, in which Crowler stared expectantly at Akira while she did a remarkably good imitation of a fish, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Crowler had managed to take 'crazy' to a whole other level with just one sentence. Had she not been so shocked she would have almost been impressed.

"wha, I, no" she spluttered completely baffled by the outcome of the conversation.

"Yes I can imagine that this is hard for you. Growing up in a family with only boys and no motherly figure to guide you through your teens was bound to make you rebel in one way or another. But I understand perfectly, it is your call for help" he continued giving her a look of mock sympathy.

"We have some exce…"

"Now wait just a second!" she interrupted, some of her stubbornness and pride returning. "My father is an excellent man and parent. He has raised four kids on his own for eight years, and did a hell of a job too! He still does! and as for a 'motherly figure', as you so eloquently put it, I never needed one. My father was perfectly able to explain everything I needed to know, including menstruation." The ugly pink flush returned to Crowler's face and Akira couldn't help but feel a little proud. "He would happily put on a dress, high heels and wear makeup if that was what it took for me to feel comfortable with my gender. And I do not _call for help_. I do stupid things, none of them being my father's fault. And the charming and delightful woman you spoke to over the phone last night, is trying her best to make my life a living hell, so far succeeding too! You would make an excellent couple, seeing as she lacks grace and femininity while you are wearing lipstick and have pink ruffles coming out of your sleeves on your suit! I wouldn't be surprised if you were the kind of kid that dressed up like Madonna at halloween" she came to an abrupt halt as she realized what she had just said and her face flushed.

Crowler was clenching his fists and breathing heavily in barely controlled anger. The vein on his forehead had reappeared throbbing more than ever and his eyes were narrowed into two slits.

"Detention, three o'clock this afternoon" he whispered, his voice trembling.

Akira stood up, glared at her vice principal and stalked out of the room, slamming the door on her way out. This was not how she had imagined she would spend the majority of her first day of school. The secretary glared at her over her glasses, but said nothing. The bell chimed and she could hear the tramping of students. She glanced at the clock hanging over the secretary's desk realizing she had been in there for a good three hours and that it was probably lunch time by now. She sighed and trudged out of the waiting room hoping to find a sign the size of a car telling her where the cafeteria was.

* * *

The cafeteria was buzzing with life when she entered. Students were running back and forth between the tables, kidding and joking with their friends. Her eyes roamed the room, trying to localize her brothers in the sea of students.

The cafeteria was a large room painted in simple white. To her right were the lunch line and a salad bar. In the far right corner she caught sight of a vending machine, a long line of students in front of it.  
The tables were placed randomly around the room, sometimes two and three put together to fit some of the bigger cliques. She noticed that teacher's table was placed in the middle of the room, its inhabitants looking around with obvious malcontent at the chaos the students made.

She had no luck finding until her brother until she noticed the frantic waving of a blonde haired boy in the corner of her eye. Takashi was practically jumping up and down in the effort of getting her attention. She waved back and started towards the table.

While making her way through the mass of students she had the distinct feeling of being watched. She looked around and realized that the chaos of voices had been replaced by silent muttering. She sighed, realizing she was the new topic of today's gossip. The other kids followed her with their eyes, putting their heads together whispering and pointing. The blonde had a sudden urge to yell that she was not a celebrity and that a picture would last longer but refrained from doing so.

"So, how did it go? You've been in there for nearly four hours" Takashi asked as she plopped into the chair between her brother and a blue haired boy.

"Horrible doesn't even cover half of it" she moaned, putting her head in her hands. He chuckled and gave her a comforting clap on her back. She sat back up and gave Takashi a questioning gaze. There were four other boys at the table and they were all staring at here with various degrees of mirth.

"That was the most interesting arrival I have ever been witness to" the blue haired kid she sat next to said and reached out his arm. She studied it warily as if it would suddenly attack her before taking up on his offer and shook hands

"I'm Tyson"

"Akira, Takashi's intelligent half" she answered with a smirk, earning a swat to her head from her brother.

"Yeah, I know" Tyson grinned and winked. She noticed that he was Asian. His crazy blue hair was somewhat tamed by the NY cap he wore. He had black earrings and a pierced brow and way he looked at her with awe gave the distinct feeling that he was not a big fan of rules.

"He hasn't been able to talk about anything else since you were dragged off by Crowler. I think you're his hero" a blonde haired boy chuckled. He had innocent blue eyes and dimples, making him look like one of the most innocent boys she had seen so far.

"I'm Max" he too reached out his arm. "That's Rei" he gestured towards a Chinese boy. He had jet black hair and almost yellow eyes that reminded Akira of a cat. Rei settled with a simple salute before he continued to stare at a couple of girls that were giggling a few tables away.

"And that's Kenny, but we all call him Chief" Max finished. The 'Chief' was a lanky boy with tussled brown hair and glasses. He nodded at her before returning to the computer he balanced on his knees, a frown of deep concentration on his face.

"It's uh… nice to meet y'all" Akira said, giving an unsure wave. Usually her brother's friends would avoid her like the plague after they had told them how crazy she was. Max and Tyson chuckled.

"Takashi told us it was not unusual for you to make a grand entrance first day of school. He said it's something he looks forward to every year" Tyson grinned, flashing a thumbs-up sign. Akira glared at her brother and he grinned awkwardly.

"That's because no one bothers to wake me up" she gave Takashi another glare. "Apparently I try to kill them in my sleep whenever they try"

"Speaking of which, how _did_ you manage to get here in time" Takashi asked. "When I peered into your room this morning you were snoring like a pig" the boys chuckled and Akira gave him an unimpressed glance.

"Charles threw my alarm clock out the window" she replied. He chuckled and took a bite of his sandwich.

She looked at Takashi's sandwich as her stomach howled and she yanked it out of his hands before he managed to take a second bite.

"fank oo'" she grinned, chewing happily.

"No problem" her brother answered feebly, clearly mourning the loss of his chicken sandwich.

"Well, let's not waste any time! I'm gonna need my energy for later" Tyson said and started to shuffle his food into his mouth with an almost frightening enthusiasm.

"wo'?" he exclaimed when he noticed the disgusted looks he received from the others sitting around the table. Akira was impressed that he managed to make any sound at all, with the amount of food in his mouth.  
Rei shook his head. He had diverted his attention back to his friends as the girls had joined a gang of jocks out of the cafeteria. He looked at Akira and smiled.

"So, how was your first impression of Vice President Crowler?"

"Well, at first I mistook him for an androgynous because of the makeup, but then I realized that he was just a woman in a man's body" Akira said. "I know a few people I could introduce him to, in case he decides to, you know. Take the big step" she was rudely interrupted as Tyson sprayed food all over the table, earning disgusted looks by his spectators. He coughed as if his life depended on it, helped by Max who slapped him on the back, while laughing silently. Kenny had managed to save his computer from Tyson's sudden urge to adorn the table with his half chewed lunch, by jumping from his seat in a speed Akira thought impossible. He gave Tyson a glare worthy of remembrance before sitting back down, his chair pulled away at a safe distance in case Tyson should repeat the exercise.

"I see that Tyson has decided to share his lunch with us again?"

Akira turned around to identify the owner of the voice. It was a petite girl with short, extremely tousled purple hair. She had clear brown eyes which glinted with mischief and a lip ring. She wore a black tank top with the idiom 'shit happens' in white under a purple jacket. Her black tulle skirt was adorned with safety pins and buttons which matched the chains on her combat boots. She looked at Akira and gave her a wolfish grin.

"I'm Miriam" the girl said. "And you are the new stunt woman at Thornton High, I presume"

"That's right. Car racing, jumping off rooftops and crashing face first into a brick wall on a skate board is my specialty" Akira grinned, playing along.

Miriam laughed, grabbed a nearby chair and sat down next to Akira.

"Did you enjoy your visit with the count?" she asked while she tried to steal one of Rei's muffins. He swatted away her hand and drew his lunch closer, as if protecting it from other potential threats when he saw the longing look on Tyson's face.

"Excuse me?"

"She means the vice principal" Max explained. "She thinks he looks like Count Dracula"

"He does!" the Miriam exclaimed sending Max a disappointed glare.

"I guess he does look a little undead" Akira laughed

"Didn't you think he looked like an androgynous?" Kenny asked silently

"Yeah, well, that too. Or better yet, a vampire drag queen!" the group continued to make fun of the vice principal and Miriam told Akira of how many times she had been in Crowler's office. Akira was in the middle of explaining one of her favorite facial expressions on Crowler's face (of the ones she had seen so far) when she felt a bony hand clutching her shoulder painfully hard.

"Akira Amelia" an all too familiar voice said. The girl in question scrunched up her face as if in thought before answering in a mock polite voice.

"Yes, Satan?"

She turned around and met the gold glare of vice principal Crowler.

"Oh, I'm sorry" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands in fake shock. "I mistook you for someone else"

"Obviously" he snarled, his grip on her shoulder tightening. She glared up at him in defiance, waiting for him to haul her back to his office. She noticed that the cafeteria was completely silent, the students watching the scene quietly.

"Here is your detention note. Make sure it does not _slip_ your mind" he gave her shoulder one last squeeze before stalking off towards the teacher's table. The entire cafeteria exploded with murmurs as she turned back to her lunch mates.

"I have a feeling this school year is going to be extremely interesting" Miriam said with glee and patted Akira patriotically on the back. Tyson had stopped mid-chew while watching the scene and was now hollering happily, spraying bits of his lunch at Rei who muttered obscenities before smacking his friend, making Tyson spray the food in his mouth over the table all over again. The others groaned simultaneously, complaining about Tyson's incapability to keep his food in his mouth.

'yes, it is going to be an extremely interesting year' Akira thought, as she watched Miriam chase Tyson around the cafeteria to the cheering of the other students.

* * *

Rate and review please!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author: **Beriathwen

**Fandom: **Beyblade

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Beyblade nor any of its characters. I do, however, own the OC's

**Summary:** Meet Akira Takamura. A girl with an endlessly amount of bad luck and a tendency to do stupid things.

**Author's note: **I'm not really sure if I'm happy about how this chapter turned out. I'll probably go back and edit it later, but this will have to do for now.

* * *

"Are you sure this is safe" Akira asked Tyson, eying his skateboard skeptically

"As safe as a rollercoaster" he grinned, giving her his famous thumbs up. Rei and Max snorted, but said nothing as Akira took a careful step towards the grinning teen. The gang (consisting of Akira, Miriam, Tyson, Max, Rei, Chief and Takashi) were standing at the school's parking lot. The first day of school was over and the teens had decided to hang out for a while before going home.

Tyson was convinced that he was going to teach Akira how to survive on a skateboard and had dragged her out of the classroom, reminding Akira very much of a certain Vice principal. Takashi had talked the others into coming too, promising them a show consisting of Akira's face making contact with the not so gentle concrete, something that amused Miriam to no end. Akira was less than happy. She had not lied when she had said that one of her specialties was how to crash face first into a brick wall on a skateboard. The blonde grimaced and touched her nose, said anatomy throbbing painfully at the memory.

"You do realize that you might be killing her by doing this?" Takashi asked, a sadistic grin plastered on his face. Tyson gave him a questioning look, an expression that adorned the teen's face more than any other. He basically went through the school day making an impressive imitation of a question mark. More than one teacher was tempted to shove a bag over his head, tired of being constantly interrupted by his stupid questions and complaints.

"Why?" The blue head asked, his eyes moving from Akira's unsure pose to Takashi's exited, almost crazed look.

"Akira was known as the legendary clutz at our last school. She spent more time at the nurse's than in classes" Takashi grinned. Akira shot him a glare before she grabbed the skateboard and sat it harshly onto the ground.

"If you must know, the nurse was a very handsome man and I didn't mind him patching me back to life, thank you very much" Akira sniffed

"Ah, yes, I forgot. It was a _murse_. No wonder half the cheerleading team sprained their ankles every other day. Personally, I don't get what was so attractive about him."

"He was tall, dark and handsome. A contrast to you, seeing as you are tall, blonde and _fishy_."

Takashi's head snapped back in the direction of his sister, nostril's flaring dangerously.

"**what did you say**?" he growled, lightning practically shooting from his eyes. Akira smirked triumphantly, happy to finally getting a rise out of her twin. Though she wasn't surprised. The nickname _fishy_ had haunted him since kinder garden after a rather embarrassing episode. Rei, Max and the Chief took a step back, not knowing what to expect from this sudden change in atmosphere, while Miriam and Tyson looked back and forth between the siblings, obviously hoping something violent was about to take place.

"I said that you are tall, blonde and fishy. And let's not forget stupid." Akira mused "That blonde hair of yours is killing your brain cells as we speak. But I wouldn't worry if I were you. You're not _that_ bad looking. You'll probably live like a gigolo, offering sex to dried out forty year olds, with no other means to satis… _ooof!" _as Akira had made a show of studying her nails, Takashi had leapt towards her with a ferocious growl, arms stretched out with only one thought in mind; kill.

His hands wrapped around her neck and her arms flapped madly before gravity decided to step in and sent them into an unwelcoming meeting with the concrete. Her bottom hit the ground first, pain searing up her back before her elbows, shoulders and legs joined her behind on the less than soft ground. She managed a weak _gaahh_ before her breath was taken out of her when Takashi landed on top of her, his eyes gleaming with anger. She hit him weakly, trying to make him let go of her neck. She noticed that Miriam and Tyson were hollering and cheering them on while Max, Rei and the Chief were watching with slight interest.

_Their life must really suck if this more action then they usually get around here _Akira thought with half a mind while the other was trying to come up with a plan to get the blonde whale that was currently squeezing her life out off of her. She managed to elbow him in the stomach and made him momentarily disorientated, which she used it to her advantage by shoving him off her. She scrambled to her feet and tried to get as much air in her lungs as possible. She had taken one wobbly step forward when she felt a foot making contact with her own, sending her to another meeting with the floor. The blonde closed her eyes and prepared for the face plant she knew was about to come… only it didn't. Instead of the hard concrete she fell on top of an uneven plate that was slightly taller than the ground. She heard the others gasp and managed a _what?_before she found herself in an awkward position, half sitting and half lying on the skateboard. The impact of her body on the plate with wheels was enough to send her hurtling down the parking lot with a shrill scream.

"Uh… this is not going to end well, is it" Tyson deadpanned as he watched the blonde soar towards the exit of the parking lot on his beloved skateboard, only missing the remaining cars with a few inches.

"I doubt it" Miriam answered feebly.

"How on earth did she manage that?" Rei asked, almost impressed.

"I guess Takashi were serious when he said that her nickname had been the legendariy clutz. I can see why" Max grinned before he flinched when she managed to avoid hitting a car by the inch of her life.

* * *

Akira clutched the skateboard with both hands as she zoomed past cars, feeling the impact the air made when she passed them.

_This is the last time I am letting Tyson teach me __**anything**__ besides things that has to do with books_ the blonde thought. How she managed to obtain such speed was beyond her. The only thing she knew was that she had to somehow stop this thing before she ended up in the main road where she would be turned into sushi. The right wheels on the skateboard hit a small crack in the concrete, sending the skateboard slightly to left – _this is good_ – towards the trash bins. _Not good, not good! _Akira thought and wiggled on the skateboard, trying to send it in another direction. Alas, the skateboard of doom was determinate on introducing her to the trash bins.

A loud crash was heard before obscenities that none of the spectators had heard before erupted from the blond as she collided with the grey metallic bins containing things neither of them wanted to think about. They ran towards the unlucky teen, stifling the laughter as they took in the sight.  
In the midst of three trash bins and a lot of garbage, sat Akira, her legs the only parts of her body visible as the rest of her was hidden beneath the garbage can tucked safely over her head.

Max, holding back a grin, lifted the trash bin over her head and laughed as his eyes met Akira's. He would have been deeply horrified by the glare Akira sent her friends, but a blonde girl covered in garbage, wearing a banana peel as a hat is hardly terrifying.

"I am glad you find my predicament amusing, _fishy" _Akira said through clenched teeth, her voice laced with venom.

"Sure, sure, banana" Takashi chocked, hardly able to form a sentence while laughing. Akira practically seethed. If looks could kill anyone within a hundred meters radius would have been stone dead.

"I am going to kill you very slowly" the blonde growled, clenching and unclenching her fists. The banana peel started to slowly slip down her forehead and for a moment it looked as if a yellow starfish had latched itself onto her face before it fell into her lap with a squishy noise. This only fueled the other teens laughter.

"ha fucking ha" she bit out as she tried to brush some of the garbage off her, but stopped when her fingers came in contact with something sticky. "Ewww"

"And I thought your enterance this morning was good" Tyson laughed before he keeled over and ended up on the floor, rolling with laughter. Even Kenny snorted with , his computer propped open on his arm. Then something hit Akira. She stared wide eyed at the brown haired boy.

"Oh no you didn't" she breathed

"Oh yes I did" he said and gave her a grin that sent shivers down her spine. She groaned and hung her head.

"This is the worst day ever" Miriam was about to pat her back, but thought better of it when she spotted a suspicious looking yellow stain on her t- shirt.

"Are you really so poor that you have to dig through the school's garbage in order to survive?" a smug voice asked. The other's stopped laughing and Akira almost started to laugh as Tyson's face went from happy to angry in less than a second. This, of course, was before she realized the remark had been aimed at her.

"Hiwatari" Tyson growled as he staggered to his feet.

"No, Kai. I think she's just mentally retarded and thought the garbage bins were some sort of play ground." An equally smug voice continued, completely ignoring Tyson as he jutted his fists towards the newcomers.

Akira narrowed her eyes, both in annoyance and because of the blinding sunlight. Which made the garbage smell worse than it would have been on a cooler day. Before her stood two teens, probably a year or two older than herself. The one to her right had slate colored hair that fell messily into his brown, almost crimson eyes. He wore a black Metallica T-shirt and grey baggy pants.  
The other one had messy red hair and ice blue eyes. He wore a black wife beater and light blue jeans full of holes. Both of them had a cigarette dangling from their hands.

"On your way home from science class, gentlemen?" Akira asked, brushing the banana peel off her lap.

"No" the slate colored hair teen answered, glaring condescendingly down at her.

"No, of course. That would mean actually being intelligent" she smirked. Tyson crossed his arms and stared fondly at the garbage covered teen and Miriam whistled, clearly enjoying the scene that was about to take place.

"Not that it's any of your business" the red head snapped "but we're actually on our way home from _soccer practice" _he emphasized on the last words as if it were of utmost importance.

"Ahh. That would explain the foul smell, don't you think Tyson" Akira grinned. These two idiots were practically handing her witty remarks on a silver platter.

The red head ground his teeth together and took a step towards her, as if beating her senseless was the only thing in the world that would make him happy. The slate haired teen grabbed his arm and pulled him back slightly.

"Come on Tala. She's not worth it. She's sitting in a pile of garbage. I wouldn't touch her even if someone paid me a hundred grand." He drawled and started to walk away. "Besides, we'll probably find a way to get that film from the geek over there" he smirked and pointed towards Kenny. Akira blatantly ignored his last remark and focused on the red head.

"Yeah, Tala. Get going to your anger management classes. It looks like you need it" Tala whipped around and it looked as if the urge to hit her was stronger than ever. They were rudely interrupted when a shrill voice that Akira, and Kai and Tala too, judging by their flinches, knew all too well.

"**what on earth is going on?!" **

"Speak of the devil, and he doth appear" Akira muttered as she staggered to her feet, by the help of Rei, while various items of trash fell to the ground, only the stickier remaining on her clothes. Crowler stalked towards the group of teens, his purple jacket billowing menacingly in the wind. And he was angry. One could almost see the steam erupting from his ears and nostrils.

"what on earth is going on" he breathed, glaring at the teens before his beady eyes rested on Akira.

"You" he whispered. "You are the spawn of Satan. This school's doom! You have been here less than twelve hours and you have managed to ruin my parking lot more than once!" he shrieked. The look he was giving her made the Joker from Batman seem like one of the sanest people on earth.

"The spawn of… Satan?" Akira blinked. She had been called many things by her previous headmasters and mistresses, but this was a first. Then again, this was probably the worst first day of school she had ever had. And now it looked like she was going to be hauled back to the broom cupboard of an office for littering the parking lot with garbage.

"An you" he turned towards Kai and Tala "I thought I made myself absolutely clear the last time we spoke. If I got a mere whiff of trouble, then you would be expelled" Crowler almost looked as if he had stolen candy from a kid. Akira could practically see him rubbing his hands together in glee.

"That was last year. We had nothing to do with this. You can ask the coach, we were at soccer practice until five minutes ago" Kai said rather stiffly. "and besides. We all get a clean slate this year, do we not? At least that's what professor Dickinson said today" he all but smirked. Crowler snorted and looked as if he was about to give the cocky teen a reprimand when an amused voice interrupted the conversation that had escalated into a scene.

"Is there a problem, Professor Crowler?" a plump small man with round glasses and chubby cheeks laughed. Crowler turned around so fast that Akira was impressed the man didn't get a whiplash.

"No, not at all headmaster Dickinson." Crowler laughed nervously. "Just some rebels that decided to fill the parking lot with trash" He gave Akira a glare before turning back to the headmaster.

"Really? I thought the "spawn of Satan" was somewhere nearby" he chuckled.

"Ah, yes, that would be me" Akira piped up. Dickinson turned towards her with an expression of surprise and raised an eyebrow as he took in her disheveled state and garbage stained clothes.

"You are the spawn of Satan? You really don't look like one"

"And the school's doom too, apparently" Akira grinned.

"Ah, yes, about that. Vice principal Crowler here" he pattet Crowler's back "has a tendency to… overreact. Don't take what he says too seriously" he winked.

"Don't worry, I never do" this earned her another glare from the vice principal

"Now I suggest that you go home and take a shower" he looked at Tweedledum and Tweedledee – aka Kai and Tala- "all of you"then he proceeded to take a hold of Crowler's arm and drag him back to the school.

"He's not completely sane, is he" Akira whispered to Tyson.

"Which one?" He grinned. She grinned back and was about to find her car and follow the principal's advice when she heard a voice.

"OY AKIRA, AKIRAAA!" She turned around and spotted Jaden jogging towards her, the usual gang of girls trailing behind him. She rolled her eyes and waved before she stepped out of the garbage littered zone. Of course, now that she was covered in trash she would be introduced to the cheerleaders and fashion addicts. Great. She would probably spend the rest of year known as 'the garbage girl'.

"You know that guy?" Miriam asked with distaste as she spotted the jock that was approaching them.

"Yeah, he's my brother" she answered absent mindedly while trying to get a napkin of her left foot

"oh, I'm sorry" Miriam started

"Don't be. He and Charles are the normal ones while Takashi and I are the crazy ones" Akira patted Miriam's back and the purple haired girl flinched as she heard a squishy noise when Akira's hand came in contact with her clothing.

"Charles?" Rei piped up.

"Yeah, we're four siblings" Takashi explained. "Akira and I are the youngest. Jaden over there" he pointed towards his brother that was frantically trying to get rid of the girls that were trailing him. "is two years older than us. Then there's Charles. He's three years older than us, but still living at home while finishing his studies"

"Charles is also the goody two shoes of the family" Akira said as she rolled her eyes. "But we've got some dirt on him, don't we bro" she continued with a sadistic smirk.

"Oh yes, we do" Takashi grinned. Akira and Takashi had spent the majority of their summer vacation two years ago on spying on their older brother, which had led to some surprising results. Charles was forever in their debt if he wanted to keep his sadistic siblings from ruining his social life.

Jaden walked the last part after getting rid of his tail of girls. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed Akira covered in garbage, but didn't look too surprised.

"What happened to you?" he panted

"Skateboard"

"Ahh. Nice enterance this morning by the way. I think this one was by far the best" he grinned.

"So I keep hearing" she answered flatly, clearly indicating that she didn't want to talk about it.

"This is your sister?" a smug voice Akira had come to hate asked. The blonde jumped, already forgotten about the two idiots that had been pestering them not five minutes ago. Not too surprising, though. Crowler could make you forget that you're standing next to Johnny Depp. She glared at the two teens and blatantly ignored them as she turned back to her brother.

"So, was it anything in particular that you wanted? Because I really need a shower" Tala coughed and muttered something she didn't quite grasp except from the words 'not' and 'help'.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you're going to the party tonight"

"Party? What party?" Akira asked confused. Somewhere behind her Tyson slapped his hand over his face and groaned.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you! Rei is having his annual back to school party tonight" Akira turned around and looked at her new friends. Tyson was rubbing the back of his head apologetically, Kenny looked as interested as ever, Miriam was practically jumping up and down think about said party and Rei were giving her one of his ten thousand watt smiles.

"You _are _coming, right?" He asked, yellow eyes meeting blue. Akira almost blushed. Rei was far too cute for his own good.

"Yeah, sure why not"

"YES" Miriam cried and glomped Akira, only to let go a second later an expression of utter distaste on her face. "I shouldn't have done that" she muttered before she took several steps back.

"I thought so" Jaden smirked. "You don't let any party get past you, do you?"

"Not unless I have to" Akira mumbled. She really loved her parties, but usually only went to the smaller ones, not wanting to spend her night fending off all the jocks and cheerleaders.

"You're not actually inviting them, are you Kon?" Kai asked and wrinkled his nose.

"You got a problem with that?" Akira huffed and crossed her arms. Tyson was about to jump the guy, but Max and Rei got hold of him in time. Hiwatari smirked at him before turning back to Akira.

"No, I can't wait to drink you under the table. Just don't expect me to hold your hair up when you puke"

"And then you woke up and realized it was all a dream" she hissed. "The day you're holding up my hair up when I'm vomiting after you have beaten me in a drinking contest is the day I'll ask you to marry me"

"You wish" he smirked.

"Why are you still here? Don't you have a shitload of kids to scare?" Miriam piped up. The girl looked as if she wanted nothing more than to shove the teen's face down a toilet. Akira grinned at the thought, and decided that if she ever got the chance she would do it. And take pictures. And get it on camera. And then post the pictures all over the school, and put the film on youtube.

"Actually, we're waiting for Jaden" Tala smirked. The smirk turned into a grin when Akira's annoyed face turned into one of horror

"You actually hang out with these dickweeds?" the blonde asked and pointed accusingly towards Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Jaden grinned and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Akira sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose "I'ts not that much of a shock really. After all, they have personalities of a toothbrush and manners of a cave troll" she mused, earning two death glares from the offended parties.

"Let's go Jaden. I can understand that you don't wanna go home when you have that thing for a sister" Kai said and started to walk towards the remaining cars in the parking lot. Akira bristled and was about to throw a smart ass comment right back at him when Jaden grabbed her arm.

"You don't wanna do that" he whispered warningly. "He comes from one of the most powerful families in the country, as does Tala. Please, don't start a war with him" he gave her a pleading look before he trudged after the oh so powerful teens. Akira snorted and turned around to face her friends again.

"Can I go home now? I have to get my wallet back from dad and buy a new alarm clock"

"Threw your old one at wall again, huh?" Jaden laughed, as he had overheard her last remark.

"No, Charles threw it out the window" she said absently, before something hit her. "HE owes me a god damned alarm clock!" she yelled, making Rei, Max and the Chief jump. Tyson and Miriam laughed and Takashi rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm off then" Akira announced and grabbed her backpack and jacket from where Takashi had dropped them. "I've got a date with the shower"

"See you at the party then?" Miriam grinned

"Hell yeah! There's no dresscode, right?" Akira asked, looking at Rei.

"No, but try not to fall into another trash bin, huh garbage girl?" Akira gave him an unimpressed glare before she gave the other teens a wave and walked over to her car.

She wrinkled her nose when she caught a sight of her reflection in her car window. To say she looked like shit would be a major understatement. Her face was had obtained several disturbing colors, and her hair was full of something that looked suspiciously like chewing gum. The flogging Molly t-shirt that had been white once upon a time was now brown with several specks of yellow that Akira could only guess being mustard, the clue coming from the sausage wrapping that had latched itself onto her left shoe and was flapping happily in the wind.

She unlocked the car and got in, making sure not look in the mirror. She gave her brother and the others another wave as she drove out of the parking lot.

"sweet, sweet shower here I come" the blonde muttered and turned on her stereo, Dennis Leary blaring from the speakers.

* * *

R&R and I will be a happy girl. (and upload faster, probably)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author: **Beriatwhen

**Fandom: **Beyblade

**Summary: **Meet Akira Takamura. A girl with an endlessly amount of bad luck and a tendency to do stupid things

**Author's note: **My deepest apologies for the late update, but I've been busy and time has been against me, plus I hit a writer's block on the way. Anyhow I want to thank everyone for reviewing and giving me feedback, if you guys hadn't I would probably not have uploaded until next century.  
Constructive criticism is still appreciated! And if you have any ideas or requests to this story, please let me know. It's good to have someone else's ideas or opinions other than mine now, enjoy the chapter

Akira gave a satisfied sigh as she stepped out of the shower, only to curse a second later when she stepped on a particularly slippery spot, but managed to keep her balance by gripping the shower curtain which – against all odds – for once didn't rip. She let out a breath and tip toed over to the mirror and used her towel to wipe away some of the steam.

The stench of garbage had been replaced by the sweet smell of her vanilla shampoo and soap, something her best friend back in New York had gotten her as a 'going away present'. Erin had convinced her that the suburban upper-class people probably didn't find it approving that an eighteen year old girl used the same shampoo and soap as her father and brothers. Akira really didn't give a flying fig, but was – in the end – thankful for the present. She felt more feminine than she had in a long time.

Erin had been Akira's friend for years, which had come as a shock to both their families; considering the fact that they were polar opposites. Erin was an attractive blue eyed girl and completely in love with fashion. The two girls had first met at a summer camp some years ago, hating each other with passion at first. In the beginning the camp leaders put them on the same team on purpose, hoping that they would learn to cooperate. But after several fights and a series of accidents – some of them being a tent catching fire and a kid with glasses, that Akira couldn't name even if her life depended on it, almost drowned during one of their disputes – the leaders gave in and put placed them as far away from each other as possible. It wasn't until they ganged up on another girl that they acknowledged one another, Akira realizing that Erin had more backbone than most of the boys she knew and Erin realized that Akira was... a breath of fresh air. Erin had, on several occasions, tried to force some of her fashion sense onto Akira but failed just as badly as Akira had when she tried to teach the brunette the basics of Halo. Even though they lived nowhere near each other they still managed to keep in touch and when Akira and her family moved to New York her father made sure to buy a house not too far away from his daughter's best friend.  
The year in New York had been Akira's best to say the least. The two girls were the nightmare of both teachers and students alike, both of them being stubborn to the point of idiocy and sharing a morbid sense of humour; mostly on other people's behalf. Their arguments often escalated into fights which usually ended rather anticlimactic when the two teenagers dropped to the ground in laughter, none of them realizing why they had been arguing in the first place. Akira did surprisingly well at school that year, and still managed to attend more parties than she had in any of her previous locations. Then again, she was hardly invited to parties, but with Erin as her friend, the rebel was cool by association. After a couple of months in New York, she got some friends of her own and actually became rather popular at her new school in spite of her constant bickering and arguing with the cheerleading squad.  
She also obtained a new enemy, Vanessa. Vanessa was the platinum blonde, big breasted leader of the cheerleaders. The blonde was so much like the usual description of your average prep that Akira had to rub her eyes the first time she laid eyes on her, just to be sure that she was, in fact, real and not just a figment of Akira's greatest nightmare.

Vanessa went out of her way to make Akira's life a hell, and almost succeeded far too many times than Akira would have liked to admit. Her skill of spreading rumours and manipulating people was perfected to the point where she could talk people into believing that she was Jesus in a woman's body. The feline had on several occasions set Erin and Akira against each other, but Akira and Erin had caught her every time, though most of them were sheer luck.

The blonde sighed and grabbed her hair brush and started to untangle the birds' nest that was currently her hair. She had spent the majority of her shower trying to get the chewing gum out of her blonde locks, a procedure that proved to be harder than she had expected. She had some experience with the whole 'chewing gum-in-hair' ordeal – it was a famous torture method for young girls - but in the end she had to admit defeat and cut some of her locks in order to get it all out. The result was less than pleasing. She now had short strands of hair that seemed to defy the rules of gravity sticking up unevenly around her head.

'_Now is the time when hats become a human's best friend' _she thought with grim satisfaction.

The blonde's thoughts returned to her brown haired friend back in New York and snorted when she thought of how pleased Erin would be if she had been allowed to give Akira a haircut. She had been dreaming of it since they were fifteen after all. Akira shook her head and pushed Erin out of her mind. Getting home sick and nostalgic was not on her list of 'to do' things today.

She quickly dried off and put on a pair of sweat pants and a wife beater with the idiom '_one by one the penguins steal my sanity_' in purple letters.  
She unlocked the door and made for the kitchen, grabbing a book from the shelf her father had randomly placed in the hallway on the way. His sense of interior was as normal as her new vice principals sense of clothing. Anyone that entered the house for the first time without having met Rufus Takamura would think that whoever had designed the interior was into feng shuei. That was until they met her father and realized that he was simply crazy. Akira never minded her father's weird sense of where the furniture should be, but when he had pulled the refrigerator into the living room and was about to carry his desk into the kitchen she had had enough. She could see the appeal of not having to walk into the kitchen to grab a beer when watching sport, but she could only put up with so much. When she was a kid her father had amused her to no end when they had moved to a new place and he was carrying the furniture in, placing it randomly where it – according to most people's beliefs – did not belong. Akira could agree with them sometimes, but she loved her father too much to deny him the simple pleasure of putting things where he saw fit, even if he was wrong ninety percent of the time. She blamed this on being hit to many times over the head by his comrades in the army. Still, she could not deny the fact that she was never bored whenever he was around.

Akira skimmed through the pages of the worn out book, as she trudged towards the kitchen. She was the only one home, she noticed. If her brothers or her father had been home she would have been tackled by now for sure.  
The kitchen was large and the walls painted in beige. Grey stone tiles adorned the floor and the benches, the latter more subtle and soft. In the middle of the room there was a square table made of red bricks which were cemented to the floor. Akira put the book down and opened the refrigerator. Apparently her father had been too busy with his shop to pay attention to something as trivial as the amount of food in the house. She heaved another sigh and grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of chips and trudged into the living room. The large open space with panorama windows was one of Akira's favourite rooms. A large fireplace had been built in the middle of the room with the classic carpet made of fur on the floor. It was this particular piece of stone that separated the room in two. To the right was the usual living room one would see in every home. With Rufus' twist, of course. A large grey leather sofa was placed along the wall which was painted in deep purple, giving the room a dramatic appearance. Over the sofa hung one of Rufus' paintings and on either side of it posters of Manchester United players caught in their moments of pride. This usually consisted of awkward positions of limbs and their faces scrunched up in concentration; sweat and saliva flying in every direction. A huge glass table stood in front of the sofa, black leather chairs on either side. Placed by the walls to the right was an aquarium of considerable size with many colourful fishes swimming about. Opposite of the sofa, at the far end of the room was a mahogany bookshelf almost bursting from the amount of books propped into its shelves. Even though it was a massive construction, it was almost hidden if one were seated in the sofa. In the middle of the room, a large LCD television towered menacingly with surround speakers on either side. Rufus was never one to care about the latest fashion or the greatest accessories, but he did care about football, hence the gigantic TV so he could get every detail.

To the left was the living room for Akira and her brothers. It was a smaller space, but instead of being dramatically fashionable it was cozy and intimate. A smaller television than Rufus' hung on the wall, also with surround sound and several consoles. Between the small red sofa and the bean bags was an oak table which towered a couple of inches over the ground, giving the small space a slight touch of asian. Akira slumped into one of the bean bags and reached for the xbox control. She had not bothered to take out the game of the console the night before, knowing that she would play it sometime today. This also saved her from the exhausting trip from the bean bag to the TV and back.  
Akira had bought Dragon Age Origins a month ago, but was still addicted. She had lost count over how many times she had completed it, but was stubbornly completing it over and over again, just to see how much her choices influenced the story.

She had been playing for half an hour when she heard footsteps in the hall. She listened for a moment and decided that it was her father, and sure enough; a few seconds later Rufus Takamura walked into the living room. He leaned against the wall, stuffed his hands into his once clean, beige and very expensive pants and studied her.

"Do I even want to know how you managed to get garbage all over your clothes?" he asked after a moment.

"Don't worry, I didn't get into a fight... per se" His daughter answered, only sparing him a glance as she kept hitting the buttons on the controller furiously as if she hoped her anger would somehow be transferred into the game and grant her victory.

"Kira, listen to me" her father began and sat down beside her on the floor. "You know that I adore you and your brothers more than anything. "Akira knew from the look he gave her that she was not going to like what came next.

"I know that the past few years have been tough, what with all the moving and new locations. You know that standing for what you believe is right is something I think is important, but don't you think that you are taking things a little too far?" he diverted his gaze to the screen as Akira's character died a rather painful death after being stomped on by an ogre.

"If you're talking about the Vice Principal then I can inform you that he was putting words in my mouth. He suggested that I should see a psychologist" the blonde scoffed and took her frustration out on a couple of genlocks that were standing in her way.

Rufus snorted and reached for the half eaten bag of chips. "I never said that you should listen to that imbecile. What I mean is that you should try to think before you spew out insults. Start to think about who you're talking to. Especially when the guy you're insulting is the grandson of Voltair" his face grew dark and he gave his daughter a concerned look. Akira raised a brow in question and he sighed.

"Voltair was one of the most known mob bosses in Russia a few years ago. The government was always an inch away from putting him in prison for good but he is slick and slipped away every single time."

Akira's brows furrowed. The information certainly rang a bell somewhere in her chaotic mind. Her father looked at her seriously and nodded.

"You have probably heard of him. His family was called _**phoenix**_." Akira's eyes grew wide and she stopped pushing the buttons frantically, allowing her characters to be slaughtered by the darkspawn that had surrounded them.

"Wasn't that the case mom was investigating before she..." the blonde started.

Rufus nodded grimly. "Voltair had started to buy some funds here in America which is why our government started to meddle. Russia is far away from America and we have nothing to do with the mafia in other countries, but when their government realized that he was investing in stocks here they alerted us, just to be safe"

Akira's mother, Chi, had been a known investigator of financial crimes. She had been recommended to several bureaus but had declined several of them, already content with the job she had.

"I'm not saying that you should change who you are, just be a little more careful from now on, okay?"

Akira nodded dumbly, earning a colgate white smile. He ruffled her hair and stretched before he made for the door. He stopped when he had taken a step into the hallway he tilted his head and gave her a blank stare.

"I heard you were going to some kid's party tonight" Akira blinked and stared at him. When his face broke into one of his ridiculus grins she groaned.

"Make me proud kiddo! Don't do anything I would do" he exclaimed with a thumbs up.

"So doing whatever you wouldn't do is better?" the blonde asked dumbly. Her father faltered slightly and almost gave her one of his kicked puppy looks.

"Fine, fine! I'll behave! I'll be sitting there like a pretty wall flower or something and say no to anything that is passed to me in case it's drugged. Even though the cork is unopened and sealed with plastic."

"That's my girl!" her father grinned and disappeared, probably on his way to the kitchen.

Akira looked at her watch and decided that she should probably go and change if she was going to be ready when Tyson and the others came to pick her up.

The music was blaring and Akira could already feel tomorrow's hangover as she weaved through the crowd with a slim hope of finding her friends. When they had arrived the party had already started. Had she hoped that it would be a small and intimate party she would probably be sitting in a corner crying. Apparently every single teenager in the town and more had been invited.

She sidestepped as a kid, probably a couple of years younger than herself, doubled over and vomited where she had been two seconds before. The blonde sneered in disgust and continued to push people out of her way, all the while muttering about kids who couldn't hold their liquor.  
She managed to find her way back to the kitchen where there were considerably fewer people. A couple were standing in the corner eating each other's faces and a few jocks were playing a drinking game by the window. A group of Goths had gathered in another corner and was drinking their red wine and glaring at the other people at the party. One of the girls sent Akira a withering glare before she returned to the conversation.

Akira sighed and leaned against the counter, helping herself to another drink. Her brother and Tyson had disappeared while she was at the bathroom and the rest of the gang was nowhere to be seen. She hadn't seen Kai or Tala, something she was eternally grateful for. Bullying and tormenting her would probably be their goal for the evening if she was spotted, and she was in no mood for another verbal fight. Especially if it would escalate to a physical one.

The door to the kitchen opened and Tyson and Takashi came stumbling in.

"Heeeey, it's your sister" Tyson giggled before he sank to the floor as if his legs were made of jelly, dragging Takashi down with him. The two boys remained seated on the floor, whispering inaudibly and sniggering. Akira gave them an unimpressed glance and drank the rest of her drink, convinced that if she were to survive this party she would have to at least in the same state of mind as her new friends. The drink was bitter and tasted strongly of vodka. She scrunched up her face in order to keep the liquor down, and poured herself another one, gulping down half of it before her gagging reflexes set in.

"Trying to drown your sorrows?" a smug voice asked. Akira tilted her head and stared into the Rei's yellow eyes.

"Not so much as trying to get into a state of mind that will allow me to be here without getting the urge to choke every other kid that hits on me" she replied monotonously.

"Not much of a social person?" Rei questioned, offering her a smoke from the pack he had produced from his pockets. Akira grinned and took one, Rei lighting it with his lighter.

"No, I like parties as much as the next person" She said, after taking a deep drag of the cigarette. "But I got my fill of messy high school parties with kids throwing up left and right when I lived in New York" Rei cocked an eyebrow and the blonde shrugged, pulling up her white top to reveal some of her stomach and a small scar on the right side, just beside her navel.

"I got into a fight with one of the jocks when he tried to hit on my best friend even though she had said no. He was going to smash a bottle of beer over my head but tripped. One of his friends pushed me and I face planted on top of the broken glass."

Both of Rei's eyebrows were now raised all the way up to his hairline.

"It wasn't that much of a deal, just a scratch. It looks worse than it was. I enjoy showing it to people. Most of them gasps as if it was the end of the world" the blonde grinned and took another sip of her drink.

"So this is not exactly your kind of party then?" Rei asked, his voice slightly muffled from the cigarette that was dangling from his mouth while he was pouring himself a drink.

"Nah, I just have to get in the right mood, hence my aggressive drinking" Akira grinned and lifted her glass in a toast before gulping down the rest of her drink, making a face as her gag reflex almost made the liquor come straight up.  
Rei downed his drink all at once and poured himself another one before he leaned against the counter beside Akira, his cigarette dangling lazily from his fingers.

"So, did you win the fight with the jocks?" he asked a few seconds later, surprising Akira who had been staring into space, thinking. She took another drag of her smoke before she answered.

"Uh, no, not really." Akira replied, small puffs of smoke exiting her nose and mouth with each words. Rei's eyebrows rose again, signalling her to continue.

"I don't really like fights, so I avoid them if I can" Akira stated quietly staring into space once again. "Although my mouth runs away with me and gets me into more fights than strictly necessary" she smiled. " Jaden came and managed to get the jocks of my back" She looked at her cigarette which had burned down to the filter and dropped it into a glass standing on the counter next to her. "he has saved from fights like these ever since he decided to play football. Takashi and Chuck, our oldest brother, has also saved me from more than one thorough beating. Even though Takashi doesn't look it, he certainly knows how to deliver a punch"

Both Akira's and Rei's eyes turned towards the two boys who were sitting on the floor, waving their drinks in the air and doing a rather poor imitation of Lady Gaga's poker face. Akira snorted and shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.  
Rei and Akira stood there in silence for a while, listening to the faint thumping of the bass blaring from the living room and the hollering and laughing from the other teens.

"It looks like Takashi has finally met someone as ridiculous as himself" the blonde laughed as Takashi dragged a reluctant Tyson through the kitchen door while explaining why he was called "the lord of the dance". Tyson gave Akira a scared look and mouthed the words "help me" but she only laughed and waved.

Beside her, Rei chuckled and lit another cigarette.

"Wanna go and see if we can find the others?" Rei asked and pushed himself of the counter. Akira nodded in affirmation as Rei led her out the kitchen door and through the sea of other teens.

They found Miriam, Max and Kenny in one of the rooms upstairs playing Tekken a few minutes later. Kenny was sitting in a corner with his computer propped up on his legs as usual, a beer standing on the table next to him. Miriam and Max were in the middle of a fight, both hollering and cursing with enthusiasm. Miriam won in the end, and did a victory dance while sticking out her tongue. Max grumbled and crossed his arms and pouted in mock sulking. Rei and Akira had been standing in the doorway watching the scene unfold and Miriam noticed them after a couple of minutes. She untangled herself from Max as they had broken into a play fight and skipped over to the two other teens.

"Ah, my heroine! Finally free of the garbage stench and banana peels" She laughed dramatically before she gave Akira a crushing hug.

"Yeah, I was seriously considering jumping into a dumpster on my way here though, just to save my reputation" Akira grinned, slightly put off by the hearty welcome.

"And you Rei, I'm surprised to see you without your other pink half" Miriam continued and raised an eyebrow at the Chinese.

"Ah, well, she's somewhere downstairs with her friends." Rei shrugged. "Thought I'd leave her alone for a while, besides, it's always much interesting hanging out with you guys" a smirk crept onto his face before he trudged into the room and plopped down in the chair next to Kenny. He leaned over and watched with interest as the lanky teen continued his frantic typing. The two started muttering, shoving their heads together as if they were plotting something. The paranoid side of Akira remembered that Kenny most likely had the video of her not so graceful trip on the skateboard still, and feared that they were somehow planning on humiliating her. She dismissed the thought as quickly as it came, and reminded herself that she was still fully capable of doing that job herself.

"Earth to Akira, repeating, Earth to Akira"

The girl in question turned her head and blinked down at the petite girl that was smirking up at her, a knowing smile on her face.

"What?"

"You like him" Miriam grinned.

"Excuse me?" Akira said, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. Miriam's grin widened and reminded the blonde of the cat that had swallowed the canary.

"Rei." The girl stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You were staring at him for over a minute, completely lost on your own little fantasy planet"

"Yeah, I tend to do that" Akira shrugged. "But believe me, I was far from 'Planet Rei'"

"Oh really? Then what planet were you on?" The smirk was still clinging to her face.

"Planet Paranoid. I was just considering the odds of Rei and Kenny releasing that unflattering video of me on the skateboard any time soon."

The smirk on Miriam's face disappeared completely and she suddenly looked very serious.

"I very much doubt that. Hiwatari and Ivanov might pull a stunt like that, but Kenny and Rei is far above those sorts of schemes. If they didn't like you they would let you know. I don't know about you, but I consider you my friend, or as close as a friend one can get from only knowing one another after a day, and I know they do too. I've known Rei since kindergarden and he would never do such a thing to another person. He might be dense at times, but he's not a bad guy"

"Yeah, I know and I'm sorry." Akira smiled and flung her arm around the other girl. "Now watch as I kick your ass in Tekken!" She exclaimed and pumped her fist, laughing.

"Thou shall never defeat me. I will thrash you and control the world" Miriam cackled and dragged Akira towards the xBox. Max laughed and lied down on one of the sofa's while Rei and Kenny only shook their heads.

"Unbelievable." Rei muttered. "I never thought there would be another girl as crazy as Miriam."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I think Akira's far crazier than you give her credit for" a slurred voice chuckled. Rei looked up at Takashi who was swaying dangerously beside his chair, a drowsy grin adorning his face.

"You're drunk" Rei stated lamely.

"You're sexy" Takashi chuckled in a fake british accent before he started laughing uncontrollably. Rei looked stricken and his head shot towards Kenny, begging for help.

"It's a quote from Family Guy when Stewie and Brian gets drunk." The teen said absently, not looking up from his computer. A wave of relief flooded through the black haired teen and he sagged further into the chair.

Now lying in a heap on the floor, Takashi was still cackling madly.

"I've got blisters on me fingers" He managed to breathe before he fell into another fit of giggles.

'This is going to be a long night' Rei thought lamely as his gaze diverted from the teen on the floor and to Miriam and Akira who was currently fighting Tyson over the X-Box controllers. The blue haired teen had yanked the cords out of the console and was now running a marathon to the door, the two girls hot on his tail. They managed to tackle him before he left the room, and promptly sat down on top of him.

"Do you yield?" Akira laughed as she poked his sides, discovering with sadistic delight that Tyson was ticklish.

"Never!" He managed to yell between gasps, and flailed madly with the arm that was not hugging the controllers in a futile attempt to swat the girls off of him. Akira turned to Miriam and grinned.

"I guess there is only one thing to do then"

"I guess there is" Miriam nodded, her face void of any emotion. Tyson stopped fighting and looked up at the two girls sitting on top of him.

"Uh oh." He gulped before they started to tickle him with feverish delight. Tyson howled and thrashed on the floor, but Akira managed to barely keep him down while Miriam continued to tickle him.

"I yield, I yield!" He screamed, tears of laughter trickling down his face. Miriam and Akira laughed in triumph, and tickled him for another twenty seconds before they got off him, both panting slightly from the exertion.

"You two are pure evil" Tyson muttered and glared at them, drying his face with the sleeve of his shirt. Akira only snickered and patted his shoulder.

"It's all good" She smirked and grabbed the controllers before she sauntered back to the TV, Miriam trailing after her, still chuckling. Tyson grumbled as he staggered up and walked clumsily to the couch where Max was lying, having watched the scene with interest.

Akira and Miriam slumped to the floor and played Tekken for a good hour and a half. Somewhere in that time Max had gone downstairs and brought several bottles of alcohol and soda to mix and everyone was getting drunk fast. Akira and Miriam were rolling on the floor, howling with laughter after Max had shown them the 'Big Booty Bitches' video on youtube.

"I am so gonna hire them the next time I'm throwing a party" Akira breathed, clutching her stomach while trying to refrain from laughing any more, the muscles in her stomach was already aching from her fit of laughter. It proved to be futile as Miriam stretched to press the play button and the video started all over again, making both of them cackle madly.

The evening soon turned into night and Kenny, Miriam, Tyson, Rei, Akira and Max were propped on the floor playing go fish. Takashi returned to the party downstairs to hang out with Jaden so it was only the five of them remaining.

"So, how come the host of the party is not with his guests, but in a room upstairs playing cards?" Akira asked while she robbed Kenny of three aces.

"You guys are also my guests" Rei smiled before he cursed when Tyson stole his threes. Tyson smiled innocently and earned a glare from Rei.

"Yeah, I know. But the horde of the party is downstairs."

Rei mumbled something unintelligible and studied his cards with utmost interest.

"He's hiding from his girlfriend" Miriam snickered. Rei glared at her, but didn't say anything and proceeded to curse when Max didn't have the cards he needed.

"I'm not hiding from her, I'm just giving her... some space" He finally muttered before he took a swig of the Bacardi Razz bottle and handed it to Max who was sitting to his right.

"Ah, I see. You're thinking about breaking up with her... again" Miriam continued and accepted the bottle when Max handed it to her.

"So who are you dating?" Akira asked.

"Mariah" Rei mumbled.

"She's a cheerleader" Miriam shrugged and handed Akira the bottle of alcohol. A cellphone beeped and Rei rummaged through his pockets and pulled it up.

"Speaking of the devil, I have to go." He said and got to his feet, swaying slightly.

"Say hello to her from me, will you?" Miriam smiled. "I haven't seen her in a while." Rei nodded and disappeared.

The others talked and drank for a while. Akira enjoyed their presence immensely and realised that she was okay with moving to a quiet neighbourhood. She had not been happy at all when her father had announced that they were moving from New York, mostly because it meant leaving Erin. But oddly enough, once she was here she hardly minded at all. Of course Kai Hiwatari and Tala Ivanov were worth a few negatives, but all in all after her first day at school it didn't seem so bad. Sure, she had been in the office of the Vice Principal, but she would be more surprised than not if she hadn't.

"I'm just gonna head downstairs for a while and see what my brothers are up to" Akira announced while she got to her feet. Miriam looked slightly disappointed but nodded nonetheless.  
Akira soon realised that she had been drinking more than she had initially planned. She was stumbling slightly and her vision swam. She made her way down the stairs, the thumping of music and voices growing louder with each step. She finally reached the first floor and stood in the hallway slightly uncertain of which way to go. Rei's mansion was huge indeed. When she had first arrived her jaw had smacked to the ground in awe as she took in the beauty of the Kon family's estate. The place was grand, to say the least and with her sense of direction she would have no problem whatsoever with getting lost. She decided to follow the sound of music and weaved her way through the couples who were making out and found one of the large living rooms shortly after.  
It was still packed with people and she was pushed in every which direction as she entered the sea of teens who were dancing. A slight sweat broke out on her brow as she pushed past the people, trying to get to one of the walls where she knew there would be a little more space. She really didn't like crowds, especially not in small rooms. The living room was by no means small, but the mass of teens there made it look tiny. Her heart started to beat slightly faster and the music seemed to be playing louder than ever, and her pushing became slightly frantic. She finally made her way out of the mass of students and walked over to an available chair that she had noticed.

Akira plopped down and put her face in her hands which were resting on her knees and sighed.

"Everything all right?" a voice yelled close to her ear, making her jump. She looked into the laughing face of Rei Kon as she clutched her heart that was beating frantically and tried to calm her breathing.

"You scared the hell out of me!" She practically yelled in order to be heard over the music. Rei apologised and Akira noticed the girl that was sitting on his lap.

"I'm Mariah" The girl said and stretched out her arm. Akira took it and was pleased to know that the girl had a firm hand shake. "You must be the new girl" Mariah continued and smiled. Akira nodded and smiled back. Mariah was very pretty, she noticed. She had flowing pink hair and slightly tan skin.

"Have you seen Takashi or Jaden?" Akira asked, looking at both Rei and Mariah.

"They were heading outside a couple of minutes ago" Rei answered while he stroked Mariah's arm absently. Akira nodded and was about to enter the sea of students again when she suddenly realised something.

"Erm" she started uncertainly. "Which way is out?" She grinned awkwardly and scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. Rei blinked at her before he roared with laughter. Akira could feel her cheeks flush as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other anxious to get out of the room. Mariah glared at her boyfriend before she swatted his head.

"Jeez, do you have to be so insensitive?" she snapped and turned to Akira.

"It's through that door" she pointed somewhere through the mass of teens, and Akira could barely see a door on the other side of the room. "It leads to a hall, but you should be able to find your way out"

"Thanks" Akira grinned. Mariah grinned back and returned to Rei who was now chuckling.

The blonde pushed her way through all the students and finally made it to the door on the other side of the room. This hallway looked very much like the one she had walked through in order to get into the living room; it had expensive looking paintings and carpets and the walls was adorned with cream white wallpaper. It was cramped with teens who were either standing in groups talking or couples making out. She was walking past one of the many doors when she felt someone grab her arm and yank her roughly to the side. She looked up and glared into the crimson eyes of one Kai Hiwatari.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in" he smirked. Even though he was one head taller than herself she could still smell the alcohol in his breath.

"What do you want Hiwatari?" she hissed and tried to free her arm, but he was holding her in a vice like grip and apparently refused to let go.

"I was wondering whether you were still interested in that drinking contest"

Oh yes, he was definitely drunk. Akira doubted that he would be dragging her into a drinking contest if he was sober.

"No, not really" she answered hotly and tried again to make him release his hold on her arm. He tightened his grip and squinted at her, swaying slightly where he stood.

"You _scared _garbage girl" he sneered and glared at her with the condescending look Akira was beginning to think was constantly plastered on his face while she was nearby.

"I'm more afraid of my kitchen tools than I am of you and your lackeys" she spat and yanked her arm out of his grasp. Kai snorted and turned around.

"I knew there wasn't much guts in you. You're all bark and no bite. Very much like those little yappy dogs."

Akira glared daggers at him and was very tempted to throw a lamp at the back of his head.

"I bet you can't drink either" he smirked and cocked his head slightly. Akira tied and untied her fists in anger.

"Oh, I can drink allright"

"Really? Then prove it" He beckoned her over to a small table surrounded by Tala and a bunch of blonde girls Akira could only guess was a part of the cheerleading squad. She sat down on a pouffe opposite of the chair Kai was seated in. He leaned forwards and put his hands on the table and looked at her. She glared at him and crossed her arms while she waited for Tala to bring the shot glasses and a bottle of whatever they were supposed to drink.

"This is Sarah" he smirked when one of the blonde girls sat down on his lap. "And that's Megan" He pointed towards one of the other girls seated in the sofa. "And that's..."

"You don't have to introduce me, I won't be able to see the difference, they all look the same to me" Akira pointed out dryly and earned several death glares from the girls seated around the table.

"I just thought I should introduce you to someone who knows how to dress. You, know. To help you out, considering you dress as if you were a guy"

Akira looked down at her outfit. A pair of worn out baggy jeans and a black tank top under a grey zip up hoodie.

"Yeah, well I guess I should be an inspiration to a couple of your friends then, since they dress like a bunch of gay guys"

"I'm guessing you're talking about the jocks and In case you didn't notice, your brother hangs out with them. Does he dress a homo too?"

"I tell him that everyday actually"

Kai was glaring at her again, and Akira was fighting hard not to start fidgeting under his scrutinizing gaze. He didn't say anything, and started to grope the girl sitting on his lap instead. Akira found herself wishing for Tala to come back as an awkward silence developed and began to drum her fingers on the table in lack of anything else to do.

"Stop that" Kai barked and glared at her with newfound ferocity. Akira smirked at him and let her nails hit the surface of the table instead, making more noise.

"I said stop it" he growled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Am I _annoying _you" Akira smirked and started tapping harder. It looked as if he was about to attack her when Tala arrived and slammed the glasses on the table.

"I brought a small audience. I hope you don't mind" He said, doing nothing to hide the malice in his voice.

"Akira, what the hell are you _doing_" an exasperated voice cried from behind her. She turned around and spotted Jaden staring at her.

"I've joined a drinking contest" Akira said and blinked at him. Her brother's eyes narrowed and he stalked forward not stopping until he was mere inches from her. He crouched down and grabbed her shoulders.

"Are you sure about this, cause I could just throw you over my shoulders and save you" he said seriously. Akira blinked at him and laughed.

"You're actually offering to save me. Do you _care _about me Jaden?" she smirked.

"Of course I care about you, you're my sister"

"Then let your sister do her job and take this guy down a couple of notches." She shook off his hands and turned back around. "Allright, I'm ready. Let's do this" she grinned maliciously at Kai who only stared indifferently back.  
Tala opened the bottle of what appeared to be vodka and poured the liquor into the glasses. Akira grabbed hers and brought the glass to her nose and sniffed its contents. She looked at Kai and they downed the drink simultaneously. She grimaced as the alcohol burned her throat and watched as Tala refilled their glasses. She swallowed the other drink and pushed her glass towards the red head to get her refill. She glanced at Kai who were watching her intently.

_Looking for any kind of weakness no doubt _

Akira grit her teeth, determination clear on her face and glared at the slate haired teen. He only cocked an eyebrow and lifted his glass in a toast and drank.

Again, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed.  
Also, those of you who have added me as one of your favourite authors, added this story to one of your favourites or added this to story alert, thank you.

R&R and I will be a happy girl!


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